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Chapter 44: Guild
🕑 Added 2025-02-08 09:16:04 +0000 UTCKaina suddenly kowtowed and begged, “Please, help us!”
Seeing her like that threw James for a loop. He wasn’t from Japan and had never seen anyone beg him like this before. James was a pushover—he had bowed his head to anyone, including his former boss. However, he had never been the one being begged. The new sensation sent his hatred out the window.
“What help?” James raised an eyebrow.
He assumed they would ask him to escort them out of the dungeon. But if that were the case, why were they here to begin with? Kaina didn’t answer him directly. Instead, she turned her gaze toward one of the military officials.
“Greetings. My name is Anderson. I am a diplomat from the Guild. Are you Survivor James?” one of the military men stepped forward and introduced himself.
James relaxed and frowned at the same time. This kind of guy was the one he hated the most. His words were sweet, but his mind was devious—always trying to take advantage of people like James. He had fallen for this type several times in the past, including that damn insurance guy.
“What do you want? If you want to get out of this dungeon, challenge the boss or wait until I get there. The monsters won’t suddenly attack you if you’re hidden. Why are you guys here anyway? Girl, you returned to Earth safe and sound, didn’t you?”
James shrugged off the salaryman and went on his way. But Anderson called after him.
“Wait a minute, Mr. James! What we wanted to talk about isn’t about getting out of the dungeon.”
Anderson reached for James’s arm, but the moment his hand touched the fur, he recoiled.
“So?”
“Ahem. We would like to extend an invitation to Survivor James to join our Guild.”
“Guild? What’s that?”
“The Guild is where Survivors gather. Together, we can reclaim our Earth from the System.”
“Why would I want to do that?” James said.
“Huh? Um… why are you here in the dungeon if not because you want to free our Earth from the System?” Anderson was flabbergasted. He thought Survivors were supposed to be the new heroes of this world. James’s answer threw him for a loop.
“Um… James. Did you actually kill a person?” Kaina raised her hand and asked fearfully.
Her question stabbed deep into James’s conscience.
He had almost forgotten about Frank. But Kaina’s question brought his face back to the surface. The horror in Frank’s eyes had elated him. It had made James happy.
Seeing James’s beastly smile sent a shudder through the group. One of them instinctively raised their sword. Even Anderson inadvertently grabbed his dagger before forcing himself to release it.
“Yes. I killed him. That monster. That thief. He stole all of my things when I wasn’t looking. Do you know what he did after I asked him? He shot me! Right in the stomach! However, I was not that weak. Thanks to the System, even bullets couldn’t harm me. Do you know what I did after that? I kicked him and stepped on him like the trash he was!” James roared.
Anderson made a victory pose in his mind. He had thought it was over when Kaina asked the forbidden question. However, he was grateful to her now for provoking James into providing precious information. The negotiation couldn’t move forward if James didn’t talk.
First, Anderson needed to know what James wanted. At first, he had assumed James sought recognition or glory. But he had been wrong. James no longer cared for such things. However, from Kaina’s conversation with him, Anderson could surmise what James did want.
“Well, if you join the Guild, Mr. James, you need not care for such trivial matters. I read a bit about Mr. Frank. He was indeed quite an asshole. The new government has declared all land to be government-owned, so what Frank did was certainly wrong.
“If you join the Guild, not only will we provide lodging, but we will also try to search for your lost belongings.”
James didn’t bite. He knew from experience that if something was too good to be true, it probably was.
“What do you want? Why are you being so accommodating?”
Anderson stayed silent. This was the moment he couldn’t lie. And so, he looked James in the eye and answered,
“You might not know about this, considering your short stay on Earth after the dungeon trial. Do you know about the System Trial that took over half of the world?”
“Half?”
“Yes. Dungeons like this one have sprawled across the world, creating a System Trial. The only way to take back our Earth is to conquer the dungeons.”
“I see.”
“So, Survivors around the world formed groups to conquer these dungeons. They named them guilds.”
Anderson mixed a little lie there. The Survivors were hardly monolithic. The Guild was merely the largest group of Survivors.
“I see. Well, I’m not joining. I don’t trust you!”
James packed his things and walked away. Anderson was left in a daze. James turned back and warned the group,
“Try to get in my way, and I will kill you!”
“At least let me accompany you!” Kaina said.
Anderson was flabbergasted. He hadn’t expected to fail.
No. I haven’t failed yet. Just like Kaina said, we have time until we clear this dungeon. By then, we should be able to get closer. If James is a good man, he will help. I need his strength. At the very least, I need to make sure he stays away from rogue guilds.
James looked at the girl and the two men, frowning. He didn’t fancy showing his battle style to anyone. But his human heart ached for company. This was the first time he had talked to fellow humans for so long.
In the end, James let them come.
James didn’t think he was antisocial. But apparently, he had become just that in the few months he had spent alone in the dungeon. He didn’t reply to Kaina or Anderson. He didn’t even ask for the names of the other soldiers with them.
“Monsters,” James muttered as he saw yet another golem in the distance. He prepared his axe and swords to engage it, but Kaina interrupted him.
“Let us deal with this. I want to show you my strength!”
“…I’ll stay and watch nearby…” James decided to let them do their own thing.
“Finally. I’m getting tired of monsters,” Sanders sighed as he prepared his sword against the incoming golem.
James almost rolled his eyes when he heard them mumbling. Among all dungeon monsters, humanoid creatures were the most dangerous due to their ability to use weapon skills.
“Be careful. They have hands. That means they can use sword skills,” James warned as the scimitar-wielding sand golem approached.
Them being golems also meant he couldn’t affect them with his mind magic or poison. This would be settled in a battle of sword skills.
Sanders engaged the golem while Kaina and Anderson tried to flank it from the sides.
“Buy a crossbow bolt,” James whispered.
[A dozen crossbow bolts cost 50 coins. Will you buy them?]
“Yes.”
The bolts teleported near his feet, and James loaded one into his crossbow.
James didn’t think they would be able to win against this monster. Once the enemy unleashed its sword skill, one of them would die unless James shot first.
“Kaina!” Sanders shouted.
“On it!”
Kaina activated her spear skill and charged at the enemy. James widened his eyes as her spear struck the golem. However, due to Kaina’s low level and stats, she only managed to inflict a meager amount of damage. But it was enough to stagger the enemy and cancel its skill.
Anderson charged in with his dagger skill. After a single slash, he turned around.
“That’s two clean hits,” James muttered.
If he were the one attacking, he would have made sure to destroy the golem with a single sword skill. But since Anderson, Kaina, and Sanders were only Level 7, this was the best damage they could do.
Nevertheless, James was finally reminded that his way was not the only way a battle could conclude. Kaina, Sanders, and Anderson were low level, and their strikes lacked power. However, they could overwhelm the enemy.
They surrounded the golem. When it turned to Kaina, Sanders and Anderson charged in with their weapons, drawing its attention. When it then charged at Sanders, Kaina and Anderson attacked from behind.
“Kaina and Sanders are the vital ones,” James muttered as he examined their battle tactics.
Anderson’s dagger skill couldn’t stagger the enemy. However, Kaina and Sanders’ weapon skills could. When the enemy activated its sword skill, Kaina or Sanders were tasked with interrupting it.
After about two hours of back-and-forth combat, the golem cracked and finally crumbled.
James winced when he didn’t receive the usual notification about how many coins he had earned. However, his Chimera skill functioned just fine.
[Would you like to Modify Your body? Y/N]
[Available Body Part:]
Sand Golem Core (Poison Resistance, Negative Trait: Mana -250, Magic -10, Repairable) (Heart Slot)
The core was no different from his existing Golem Core. James decided to ignore it and instead congratulated the trio.
“Alright! I leveled up!”
“Me too!”
“Me three!”
They cheered and high-fived each other. Then, the group turned to James.
Kaina, who had finally defeated an opponent on her own, looked smug as she turned her face to James.
“So, how was our performance?”
“Better than I thought. I didn’t think you could beat it on your own.”
James honestly praised their performance. He had thought they wouldn’t make it because of their low stats, but they had actually pulled it off. They deserved his honest praise.
“Let’s continue. I suspect the boss is that way.”
James checked his status one last time before venturing toward the Stonehenge, where the boss monster likely awaited.
While he was impressed that they had managed to defeat the golem, a boss monster was another matter entirely.
This time, James would not fight alone.
However, could he fight alongside them? Could he trust his back to them?
That question haunted him as he inched closer to the monument.
[Name: James]
Age: 35
Sex: Male
Level: 41
Coins: 520 (↓50)
Stats:
STR: 136
DEX: 131
MAGIC: 86
MANA: 880
Skills:
Novice Axe Mastery Level 4 (Powerstrike, V-slash)
Beginner Sword Mastery Level 7 (Hurricane)
Beginner Bow Mastery Level 7 (Quickshot)
Beginner Dagger Mastery Level 1
Magic:
Mind Flay
Sense Alteration
Mana Sonar
Class:
Attacker (Level 7) (10% bonus when attacking, STR & DEX +1 per level)
Unique Skill - Chimera Level 2:
Goblin Stomach (Iron Guts) (Stomach Slot)
Mana Core (Water Spells: Ice Spear, Water Manipulation, Magic +60, Mana +1000) (Extra Slot)
Orc’s Left Arm (STR +10%) (Arm Slot)
Eyes of Mana (Mana Sense) (Right Eye Slot)
Golem Arm of Valhalla (STR +30%, Physical Resistance +30%, Negative Trait: Repairable, Mana -200) (Right Arm Slot)
Ratking’s Legs (STR +25%) (Leg Slot)
Flaming Tiger’s Fire Lung (Fire Breathing Skill, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Lung Slot)
Golem Core (Poison Resistance, Negative Trait: Mana -250, Magic -10, Repairable) (Heart Slot)
Orc’s Torso (Torso Slot)
Orc’s Head (Head Slot)
Shadow Snake Fang (Intermediate Life Leeching) (Mouth Slot)
Jumping Spider’s Spinneret (Thread Creation) (Extra Slot 2)
Flaming Tiger Lord’s Firefur (Fire Cloak Skill, Fire Resistance, Physical Resistance +15%, Negative Trait: Mana -100, Magic -10) (Skin Slot)
SwordShark’s Gills (Water Breathing, Negative Trait: Waterbound Respiration) (Extra Slot 3)
Rock Crab Shell (Physical Resistance +90%) (Extra Slot 4)
Land Shark’s Ear (Echolocation: 10 meters) (Ear Slot)
Equipment:
Leather Armor Set (+10 DEX)
War Axe
Longsword
Crossbow (x12)
Waterspout Dagger
Mask of Identity
Leather Bag
Sphere of Fethusiane
Cloak of Dark Night
Thompson Center Contender (x2)
Frag Grenade (x1)
